Translating device for type printing machines



Jan. 28, 1958 G. KRATT 2,821,

TRANSLATING DEVICE FOR TYPE PRINTING MACHINES Filed Nov. 50, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Y I r2 a1 -a5 P 4 12 wlfimmg i 6 7 bu1 I 51, -bu2 12a 5 Fig.2

' INVENTOR G.KRATT 7 BY Fig.3

ATTORNEY G. KRATT Jan. 28, 1958 TRANSLATING DEVICE FOR TYPE PRINTING MACHINES 5 Sheets-Sheet.2

Filed Nov. 50, 1955 Fig. 4

INVENTOR e. KRATT' BY ATTORNEY Jan. 28, 1958 e. KRATT 2,821,570

TRANSLATING DEVICE FOR TYPE PRINTING MACHINES Filed Nov. 30, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fig. 5

l4a---43a (a) 2 Figures INVENTOR G. KRATT BY W1 ATTORNEY Jan, as, 1958 a. 'KRATT TRANSLATING DEVICE FOR TYPE PRINTING MACHINES Filed Nov. 50, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 g Sui u Ig"E(F) (610/) m m m B S u in S 5 k E i t u 8 Fig. 7

INVENTOR G. KRATT BY W ATTORNEY G. KRATT Jan. 28,1958

TRANSLATING DEVICE FOR TYPE PRINTING MACHINES Filed Nov. 30, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Fig. 8

INVENTOR G. KRAT T ATTORNEY United States PatentiOfiice 2,821,570 Patented Jan. 28, 1958 TRANSLATING DEVICE FOR TYPE PRINTING MACHINES Gerhard Kratt, Nurnberg, Germany, assignor to International Standard Electric Corporation, New York,

. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application November 30, 1955, Serial No. 550,023 Claims priority, application Germany December 9, 1954 7 Claims. (Cl. 178-34) This invention relates to type printing machines and more particularly to printing telegraph typewriters or receivers which operate in response to a received telegraph code combination. In the printing telegraph art a system of selecting elements is used for translating the signals of a code combination having a given number of code elements. The selecting elementsare used to select a character from a printing type wheel or type bank which corresponds to the code elements received. In addition to code elements corresponding to the alphabet, punctuation and numerals, there are required special functions to govern operation of the receiver such as line feed spacing, figure shift, letter shift, etc. all of which condition the receiver to respond according to the requirementsof the message transmitted from a transmitting station toward the receiver. The selecting elements are positioned mechanically and are interposed in the path of a sensing element which senses the movement of said selectngelement. When a function is to be performed such as ismentioned above, the received code combination corresponding. to the function must be translated into a mechanical movement such as requiring a line feed of a platen, the spacing of the carriage to indicate the ending of a word or the shifting of the platen or of a type wheel from the figure to the letter or figure position to selectively print letters or figures as required.

The mechanical transfer of the mechanical movement of'the sensing and translating apparatus for the initiation of the special function operations generally requires componentparts which must have a relatively high standard of precision and large spacial requirements in the machine due to the mechanical linkages involved. The utilization of mechanical linkages also results in a finite delay in the performance of the required functions due to the necessary amount of play contained in such linkages. By eliminating the mechanical arrangements of the prior art relating to the transfer and execution of special functions in a printing telegraph receiver, applicant has discovered how relatively inexpensive components not requiring a high standard of precision and requiring relatively small space, have eliminated the short comings of the prior art in these respects. The inven-' tion is based upon the control of electric contacts by movement of stop elements and which contact control electromagnets which causes the release of the functions the machine. v I

-Accordingly it is an object of the invention to provide electrical contacts actuated by stop elements and which contacts control electromagnet means which in turn cause the release of the required function;

It is another object of the invention to provide contacts which are controlled from a plurality of stop elements to give preferential control of the electromagnet means.

: It is a further object of the invention to provide a net- Work of contact connected in a particular way so that the cooperation of a plurality of contacts are required for the release of special or predetermined functions.

The above-mentioned and other features and objects of this invention and the manner of attaining them will become more apparent and the invention itself will be best understood, by reference to the following description of an embodiment of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. l is a schematic representation of a ring selecting arrangement utilizing my novel contact actuating arrangement for controlling the transfer of special function signals in a printing receiver;

Fig. 2 is a schematic representation partlyin section of my novel contact actuating arrangement .of Fig. 1 showing details of the contact operation;

- Fig. 3 is a diagramatic representation of the electrical circuit utilized in the arrangement of Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a portion of a printing receiver showing the'mechanism for selectively shifting a rotating type wheel from the Letters to the Figures position under control of the apparatus shown in Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 5 is a schematic representation of another embodiment of my invention as applied to a ring selecting arrangement with multi-contacts for controlling the transfer of special functions in a printing" receiver;

Fig. 6 is a schematic representation partly in section of the novel contact actuating arrangement of Fig.5 showing details of the contact operations;

Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic representation of the electrical circuit utilized in the arangements of Figs. 5 and 6; and I Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of an electromechanical arrangement for controlling the performance of special functions under control of the apparatus shown in Figs. 5 and 6.

Referring now to Fig. l, which is a schematic representation of a ring selecting arrangement which utilizes my normal contact actuating arrangement. The ring selecting arrangement is of a known type and is of the type described in the co-pending application of G. Kratt-O. Holstein, filed on November 17, 1955, bearing Serial No. 547,499, and entitled Telegraph Signal Translation Mechanism.

I Briefly described, a number of coaxially disposed code selection discs are adapted to be angnlarly displaced with respect to each other in response 'to received code elements and for each received code combination correspondingly cut notches in the several discs will become aligned and constitute a groove through which a toothed stop element may pass in a direction parallel to the axes'of the code selection discs. The stop elements are'radially disp'osed'about the code selection discs, there being one for each angular position of a character on a rotating type wheel. The movement of a stop element through the aligned row of notches places 'it in the path of a sensing element which rotates with the type wheel and causes the halting of the type wheel when the sensing element encounters the actuated stop element. Thus the angular position of the type wheel is directly related to the angular position of the actuated stop element. Referring for a moment to Fig. 4, there will be seen a type wheel 470 having a row of letter type 47b and a row of number type 47a. The type wheel 470 is required to be moved axially along the rotating shaft 48 so that selectively. the proper row of type, letters or figures may appear in alignment with the printing control apparatus which may be a hammer, etc. To control the axial movement of the type wheel I provide a pair of contacts bul, 121 12 as shown clearly in Fig. 2 which contacts are under the; joint con-v trol of adjacent stop elements 12 and 13. Stop element 12 has a J-shaped end portion which includes a cam surface 12b. In the unactuated position, contactor 5a is normally urged against the edge of the element 12 by the bottom spring 5b contained in the contact spring pile-up 5. When the stop element 12 is moved toward the left upon alignment of a row of notches in the code selection discs 81 85 under the urging of spring 12a, the contactor 5a will move upwardly on the cam surface 12b and thereby the metal spring of the pile-up 5 containing the contact bu2 will touch its associated contact bul and urge it upward. There is further provided a rotating pawl 6 which has an L-shaped lower surface 7 and which pawl is pivoted at point 6a and is normally urged to pivot in a clockwise direction by means of spring 6b attached to its upper portion. The portion 7 is adapted. to extend underneath an extension of the springwhich carries contact bul and is so constituted that it maintains the contact bul in the upward position as shown in Fig. 2 after the upward movement of the contactor 5a as heretofore explained. The upper portion of pawl 6 is bent to an L-shapeperpendicular to the L-shaped portion 7 and extends in the path of the adjacent stop element 13 as is more clearly discernible in Fig. 1. Stop element 13 is a different configuration from the stop element 12 and is provided with a hook portion 4 at an end thereof and which portion is adapted to co-act against the upper L-shaped portion of the pawl 6 whenever stop element 13 is actuated by the alignment of the notches in the discs 81 85. The movement of element 13 toward the left results in pivoting of the pawl 6 in a counterclockwise direction against the tension of the spring 6b and the L-shaped portion 7 of the pawl releases the upper contact spring bearing the contact bid which is then free to make with its cooperating contact bu2. Upon closure of the contacts bu as explained above, a circuit will be completed for the electromagnet which is shown diagrammatically in Fig. 3. The magnet KM is adapted to control the positioning of the type wheel 47 as is more particularly shown in Fig. 4. In Fig. 4 there is shown a movable carriage 71 which is adapted to move by means of the rollers 72 and 73 on the guide rail 74. The type wheel 47 is adapted to move axially on a splined shaft 48 under control of the gear 8 which co-acts with rack 9. Rack 9 is fixedly attached to the carriage 71. Pivotedly mounted on the carriage 71 is an armature adapted to normally pivot clockwise under urging of spring 3. Armature 10 cooperates with the electromagnet KM and which magnet contains ,a winding which is adapted to be energized upon the closure of contacts bu, Figs. 2 and 3 via-the brush connections 75 and 76 which cooperate with the contact buses 77 and 78 which are carried by the insulating member 79. The armature 10 has an upper portion 10a which cooperates with the circumferential slot 1 contained in the type wheel 47. Upon energization of magnet KM, armature 10 pivots in a counterclockwise direction and urges type wheel 47 axially in a left hand direction with respect to the carriage 71. The axial movement of the type wheel 47 as described effects the shift to the printing position for figures contained in the row 47a.

The arrangement above described operates as follows: Contact bul is maintained normally latched by the pawl 6 in the position shown in Fig. 2. Magnet KM is therefore de-energiz ed and armature 10 is in its clockwise position so that the type carrier 47 is in the position to print letters from row 47c thereon. Upon receipt of the code permutation signal corresponding with the figure shift function, the stop element 13 (Fig. 2) will be actuated toward the left and pawl 6 will release and permit contacts bu to close. Magnet KM is thereupon energized and moves type wheel 47; toward the left thereby bringing the row of figures 470 into printing position (Fig. 4). After the return of the stop element 13 in preparation for the receipt of the next code permutation signals which will be indicative of the figures to be printed, the arrangement of Fig. 2 is such that the pawl 6 will no longer retain the contact bul in the position shown in Fig. 2 because its end portion 7 will now lie above the spring carrying contact bul and the contacts bu will remain closed thereby maintaining the magnet KM energized and the type wheel 47 in Fig. 4 will remain in the figure printing position. In order to return the equipment to the original position it will 'require the receipt of the code permutation signal corresponding to the letter shift. Upon receipt of the letter shift signal, the stop element 12 will be actuated toward the left and again the contact actuator 5a will move up the cam surface 12b and thereby carry both contacts bul, bu2 upward. By making the contact spring which carries the contact bul flexible, it will snap past the L-shaped portion of pawl 6a and then when the stop element 12 retracts, contactor 5a will be depressed and the contacts bu will be opened and the apparatus will again assume the position shown in Fig. 2. This will result in the opening of the energizing circuit of magnet KM resulting in the axial movement of the type wheel 47 toward the right and in letter shift position.

Another embodiment of the invention will be described with the aid of Figs. 5 to 8 of the drawing. In this embodiment there is shown apparatus to perform a number of special functions including suppression of character printing and suppression of line feed. Reference to Fig. 5 will show the additional sets of contacts which cooperate with the several stop elements but the contacts shown are multicontact pile-ups as will be more readily appreciated from an examination of Fig. 6. In Figs. 5 and 6 the stop elements 12 43 have associated therewith contact sets F, G, H, Bell, Letters, Figures, Carriage Return, Line Feed, Space, Wire Break and Who Are You. All of the aforementioned contact sets with the exception of the contacts allocated to the figure shift function, are make contacts which upon actuation of their associated stop elements toward the left are closed by means of actuators that slide up inclined portions of the stop elements similar to the contactor 5a as described in conjunction with Fig. 2. In Fig. 6, the contacts associated with the figure shift function consists of two pairs of make contacts zil and zi2 each of which may be closed upon upward movement of the common actuator 50. The lower spring 50 associated with the contact set zi2 is adapted to be latched in the closed position by means of the latch portion 7 of the pawl 6 which operates in similar fashion to the pawl 6 described in Fig. 2. Upon displacement of the letter shift stop element 13, the pawl 6 will be rotated out of latching engagement with the spring 50.

As explained in the said copending application the selecting rings 81 85 are selectively rotated by means of their protuberant portions 86 90 and all but an actuated stop element will be locked in an unactuated position by means of the locking ring 44 whose function is more particularly described in said copending application. The seeker arm 49 which is fixedly mounted to the shaft 48 and which shaft carries the type wheel 47, abuts against the actuated stop element under rotation afforded by the slipping clutch 46 and the selective clutch drive controlled by lever 45 which clutches the entire mechanism to a steadily rotating shaft. The contact sets above enumerated are adapted to control a pair of electromagnets, KMl and KM2 in accordance with the schematic diagram of Fig. 7 wherein B is a battery and W is a resistance equal to the value of the ohmic resistance of the winding of electromagnet KM2. In the arrangement shown in Fig. 7 contacts corresponding to. carriage return, line feed, wire break, letters and, zil are all connected in parallel. with each other and.

further explained. The contact group consisting of F.-

G, H, Bell and Who Are You are similarly connected in parallel and will serve to complete a circuit for the energization of electromagnet KM1 providing contact zi2 is closed as will be seen from Fig. 7. The contact marked space in Fig. 7 when closed, completes a circuit for the energization of both electromagnets- KM1 and KM2; The purpose of providing electromagnets KMI and KM2'will better be understood from a consideration of the structure shown in Fig. 8 of the drawing. The electromagnet KM1 is provided with a cooperating armature .69 which is normally held in the clockwise position by means of spring 69a. Armature 69 cooperates with blocking slide 68 which slide has a central slot 68b cuttherein and through which fixed studs 68c extend rendering it possible for the slide 68 to move toward the left upon energization of electromagnet KM1. Slide 68 when moved toward the left is adapted to be positioned beneath bell crank lever arm 61a. Electromagnet KM2 is provided with a cooperating armature 70 normally held in the counterclockwise direction by cooperating spring 70a. Armature 70 is adapted to cooperate with a second blocking slide 67 which is provided with slot portions 67b and a tab 67a extending from the lower edge thereof. Upon actuation of armature 70, slide 67 remains in rest position. Both slides 67 and 68 are coupled by a spring 68a It will be seen that upon movement of the slide 68 toward the left under control of the armature 69, the slide 67, by virtue of the coupling of spring 68a, will also move toward the left providing the armature 70 is in its counterclockwise position. Thus it will be seen that if electromagnet KM1 is energized and KM2 is de-energized that both slides 67 and 68 will move toward the left and be under their associated bell crank levers. Bell crank lever 21a comprises a cam follower portion 61 which is adapted to cooperate with cam 59. Bell crank lever 62a is provided with a similar cam follower portion 62 adapted to cooperate with cam 60. Both cams 59 and 60 are adapted to be rotated by shaft 59a. Both bell crank levers are adapted to pivot on fixed shaft 61b as their portions 61, 62 follow their associated cams 59, 60. Bell crank 61a has an upstanding arm 63 to which is attached a spring 63a and bell crank lever 62a is provided with a similar up-standing arm 64 to which is attached a spring 64a. The springs are adapted to urge the said levers in a counterclockwise direction against the cams mentioned so that as the trough of the cams are reached, the levers will be pivotally moved in a counterclockwise direction. Such pivotal movement causes the arm 63 to be removed from the path of the clutch member 65 which thereupon will move toward the left under urging of compression spring 65a so that its toothed portion 65b will engage with the toothed portion 56. Similarly the arm 64 is adapted to cooperate with the clutch part 66 so that when the bell crank lever 62a is pivoted in the counterclockwise direction, the clutch part 66 under urging of the spring 66a will be moved toward the left and its toothed portion 66b will engage with the corresponding toothed portion 57. Both toothed portions 56 and 57 are firmly attached to rotating shaft 58.

The structure of Fig. 8 operates as follows: If none of the contacts shown in Fig. 7 are closed, then both electromagnets KM1 and KM2 are de-energized and their respective armatures 69 and 70 will be in the position illustrated in Fig. 8. The bell crank levers will be permitted to perform a rocking motion as they follow rotating cams 59 and 60 thus periodically releasing clutch member 65 with the rotating clutch member 66 thereby clutching the printing cam'ss tothe rotating shaft 58.;

Similarly clutch member 66 is clutched to clutch member 57 whenbell crank lever 62a rocks following cam 60 thereby the gear 54 is clutched to the shaft 58 and the rota'tion'of thefgear 54 causes a line feed to be performed by means not shown. Upon the receipt of a code permutation corresponding to a function and the closure of contacts of Fig. 7 allocated to carriage return, line space," wire break, letter shift or the closure of contacts zil, electromagnet KM1 will energize causing its armature 69 to draw the blocking slide 68 toward the left so thatit is positioned beneath bell crank lever 61a. This action will prevent the clutch member 65 from engaging the rotatingclutch member 56 and therefore the printing cam 53 "will not rotate. By virtue of the spring 68a which couples the blocking slides 67 and 68 the slide 67 is also moved toward the left and its edge 67d prevents the bell crank lever 62a from following the cam 60 and thus preventing 'clutch member 66 from engaging with clutch member 57 thereby preventing movement of gear 54 and consequent line feed. Thus failure of the cam 53 to rotate, prevents the printing of a character by the type wheel 47 and 'the're is also prevented spacing in the line direction by virtue of the fact that the gear 54 remains stationary. In the event that other signal combinations are received such as Who Are You, Bell, F, G and H, the electromagnet KM1 will be energized only upon condition that contacts ziZ are closed since it is in series parallel arrangement with the last-mentioned group of contacts as will be plainly seen from Fig. 7. Thus if contact zi2 is not closed, the receipt of a signal combination last above mentioned would not interfere with the printing of characters and feeding in the line direction will proceed normally. Hence with respect to these 5 signals, it is insured that upon receipt of the letter shift signal, the corresponding letters will be printed while upon receipt of the figure shift signal, printing as well as feeding in the line direction will remain inefiective. The contact marked space in Fig. 7 when actuated as a result of the movement of its associated stop element, completes the circuit extending in Fig. 7 from battery serially through both windings KM1 and KM2 thereby the energization of electromagnet KM1 causes the blocking slide 68 to be positioned beneath bell crank lever 61a but since electromagnet KM2 is also energized, its armature abuts against the projection 67a on the slide 67 and thereby prevents the slide 67 from being urged in a left hand direction under control of the spring 68a thereby leaving bell crank lever 62a free to rock. Consequently the printing of a character is prevented since the bell crank lever 61a is locked but the line feed function takes place since a clutch member 66 may periodically engage with clutch members 57 to control the line feed function.

While I have described above the principles of my invention in connection with specific apparatus, it is to be clearly understood that this description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation to the scope of my invention as set forth in the objects thereof and in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A translating device for a type printing receiver of the ring selecting type comprising a plurality of coaxial ly mounted settable code selection discs each having a plurality of radial notches extending around a peripheral surface thereof, a plurality of stop elements disposed transversely about said peripheral surfaces, each adapted to cooperate with an aligned row of notches in said discs, means to actuate said stop elements in a direction parallel to the axes of said discs, electrical contact means associated with given of said stop elements, electromagnetic control means for causing operation of particular functions of said receiver and circuit means interconnecting said contact means with said electromagnetic means.

2. A translating device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising first latch means for latching given of said,

magnetmounted on a movable type carriage, a pivoting armature coupled between thetypewheelcontained in said carriage and said electromagnet whereby said typewheel' maybe selectively urged in a longitudinal direction with respect to said carriage under urging of said electromagnet. V V

4. A translating device as claimed in claim 3, wherein said electromagnet includes a pair of contact brushes and said circuit means comprises a-pair of power bus leads adapted-to be brushed by said brushes, said leads insulated from eachother and fixed'with respect to said carriage. g V

5. A translating device asclaimed in claim 1, wherein said electromagnetic control means comprises a pair of electromagnets, a'rotating drive shaft, a pair of function performing elements, a pair of clutches adapted to selectively couple respective of said function-performing elements to said shaft, a-pair of clutch control elements re spectively adapted to normally cyclically disengage said clutches from said shaft, a pair of blocking elements for blocking operation of said clutch control elements, each of said-blocking elements under control of a different one of said electromagnets, means intercoupling said blocking elements for bringing both said elements under the control of a single one of said electromagnets.

6, A translating device as claimed in claim 2, wherein said first latch means comprises a pivoting lever having a latching end and a resetting end, a resilient element coupled to said lever and adapted to normally urge said latching end in latching contact with said given contact means, said-resetting end comprising a portion extending in a normal direction to the length of said lever and into the path of said adjacent stop element.

7. A translating device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the latching end of said'lever comprises a double latching portion adapted to latch said contact means in an actuated and in an unactuated position, respectively.

No references cited. 

